One more citizen eager for information on how his tax dollars are spent has just learned a key lesson about the most transparent administration in history: It is futile to ask the Obama administration for anything — unless there’s something in it for the administration. Like, say, a flood of sensitive information leaked from the highest political levels, possibly making Obama look good if mostly placing American citizens, covert assets and several countries’ operations at risk.

This week’s more benign revelation is the White House recipe for Honey Brown Ale, with a curiously over-the-top public relations rollout — dontcha want a White House that makes beer? (cough-Romney’s a Mormon-cough) — prompted by a request under the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.